Case of recording medium for rental and sale use

ABSTRACT

To change a case with easy operation from a sale case state engaging with a recording medium to a rental case state accommodating the recording medium in an inner case protruded from a case ceiling side as to be capable of being nipped out, recording medium accommodation means is so constituted as to fix and hold the recording medium to a recording medium engagement member, and the inner case accommodation means accommodating the recording medium is constituted in such a manner as to open and release the recording medium engagement member from a base body, to engage the recording medium engagement means with a ceiling member loosely fitted to a cover of the case, to move the ceiling member loosely fitted to the ceiling side of the cover along a groove of the cover and to fit it loosely near to the bottom surface of the cover and to accommodate the inner case accommodating the recording medium from the ceiling portion so released into the case.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a case that allows a recording medium to be taken into and out from the case when a base body and a cover are opened, changes to a recording medium accommodation case when the base body and the cover are closed and makes it possible also to take out an inner case accommodating the recording medium from a ceiling surface side when the base body and the cover are closed.

2. Related Art

DVD disks recording thereon music and videos are put on sale while they are accommodated in opaque sale cases. In disk rental shops, the recording medium is taken out from the sale case and is put into an inner case and the inner case is put into another case and is then displayed on a display stand.

A case that can be used for both sale and rent has been developed in the past. In other words, the case has a structure such that it perfectly accommodates the recording medium when the recording medium is for sale, but when the recording medium is for rent, a ceiling of this case can be opened so that an inner case accommodating the recording medium can be put into the case.

Such a case is described in JP-A-2001-048273, JP-A-2001-130673, JP-A-2001-130674, JP-A-2001-247185, JP-A-2001-331877, JP-A-2002-205786 and JP-A-2002-264984.

In the case according to the prior art described above, the ceiling member is removed and is assembled as a height creation member of the inner case, or is rotated. Alternatively, processing of the ceiling member and processing of the height creation member are conducted by engaging another height creation member, for example. However, the case according to the prior art can cope only one or two kinds of inner cases.

However, the sizes of the inner cases are diversified, too. When an inner case having a small length in an inserting direction is put into a case having a certain height creation portion, a protrusion distance of the inner case to the case becomes small. When an inner case having a large length in the inserting direction is put, the protrusion distance of the inner case from the case becomes great. Therefore, a case having several height creation positions corresponding to several kinds of inner cases has been desired.

The case of the recording medium for rental or sale use according to the prior art has the problems described above. To solve these problems, the invention aims at providing a case of the type which, when the case is changed from a sale case state in which the case is engaged with a recording medium to a rental case state in which the recording medium is accommodated in an inner case and the inner case protrudes from a case ceiling side to such an extent as to be capable of being nipped out, the case can easily allow this changing operation, and has height creation positions corresponding to various kinds of inner cases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A case of a recording medium for rental and sale use according to the present invention is made to permit a recording medium to be taken into and out therefrom when a base body and a cover are open, operating as a case accommodating therein said recording medium when closed, and accommodating therein an inner case accommodating said recording medium from a ceiling side when said base body and said cover are closed in such a fashion that said inner case can be taken into and out therefrom. The case comprises a ceiling member loosely fitted to said cover, a groove for loosely fitting and moving said ceiling member from a ceiling position near to a center of said cover or to a bottom surface, positioning means so arranged as to be capable of positioning said ceiling member to a ceiling position and to a position near to the center of said base body or to the bottom surface, a recording medium engagement member; and engagement means engaging said recording medium engagement member with said base body in such a manner as to be capable of separation and opening, wherein said recording medium accommodation means is so constituted as to fix and hold said recording medium to said recording medium engagement member, and said inner case accommodation means accommodating said recording medium is constituted in such a manner as to open and release said recording medium engagement member from said base body, to engage said recording medium engagement means with said ceiling member, to move said ceiling member loosely fitted to the ceiling side of said cover along said groove and to fit it loosely near to the bottom surface of said cover and to accommodate said inner case accommodating said recording medium from the ceiling portion so released into said case.

The ceiling member may include at least a pair of right and left engagement protuberances, a flexible support and a member for connecting said pair of right and left engagement protuberances, and when a pressure is applied to said member for connecting said pair of right and left engagement protuberances, said flexible support undergoes elastic deformation, thereby changing the positions of said engagement protuberances.

The ceiling member may be moved along a groove formed in said cover and when it loosely fits near to the bottom surface of said cover, said ceiling member has two or more fixing positions near the bottom surface.

The ceiling member may have at least one flexible pawl and said cover and said flexible pawl hold a sheet of paper between them.

The ceiling member may have a receiving surface and when said base body and said cover are closed, said receiving surface suppresses variance of said recording medium.

The base body may have a receiving surface, said cover has a pressing plate and said receiving surface and said pressing plate suppress deviation of said recording medium when said base body and said cover are closed.

The case according to the present invention becomes a case of the recording medium for sale under the state in which the ceiling member is engaged with the cover at a ceiling portion and the recording medium engagement member is engaged with the base body, and the case has therein a space capable of accommodating the inner case when the ceiling member is loosely moved near to a bottom surface of the cover along the groove disposed in the cover and releases the recording medium engagement member from the base body and the base body and the cover are closed while the recording member is engaged with the ceiling member. When positioning is made to one of various ceiling member positioning positions arranged in the cover, the case becomes a recording medium case for rent having height creation positions corresponding to various kinds of inner cases. The invention will be hereinafter explained in detail with reference embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure of a cover case of a disk-like recording medium for rental or sale use according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a ceiling member in the covercase;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure of a recording medium engagement member in the cover case;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the recording medium engagement member is engaged with a base body and the ceiling member is engaged with a cover in the cover case;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a disk fixed the recording medium engagement member in contrast with FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the recording medium engagement member is removed from the base body and is fitted into a fitting hole of the ceiling member in contrast with FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ceiling member engaged with the recording medium engagement member is slid and is moved near to a bottom surface of the cover in contrast with FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which an inner case accommodating therein a disk is accommodated from a ceiling surface portion created by moving the ceiling member while the base body and the cover are closed in contract with FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ceiling member having a role of a height creation member of the inner case as the base body and the cover are opened and are moved near to the bottom surface, and also showing a condition of the inner case, in contrast with FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front view showing an arrangement position of the recording medium engagement member with respect to the base body at the time of engagement of the base body with the recording medium engagement member;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a positional relation between the base body and the recording medium engagement member at the time of engagement of the base body with the recording medium engagement member;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an engagement hole formed in the base body and an engagement hook formed in a recording medium engagement member at the time of engagement of the base body and the recording medium engagement member;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an engagement protuberance and a fixing pawl formed on the base body and an engagement protuberance formed on a recording medium engagement member at the time of engagement of the base body and the recording medium engagement member;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a rectangular recording medium and engagement hooks disposed on the recording medium engagement member at the time of engagement of the rectangular recording medium and the recording medium engagement member; and

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing a positional relation between a groove formed in the cover and a projection for a slide groove formed on the recording medium engagement member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a cover case of a recording medium for rental or sale use according to the present invention. The cover case comprises a box shaped base body 1 and a cover 2 connected by two hinges 1 a and 1 a through a back surface member 1 b, a ceiling member 11 loosely fitted to the cover 2, and a recording medium engagement member 21 detachably fixed to the base body 1. The cover case is made so that a recording medium can be taken into and out therefrom when a base body and a cover are open, and it can operate as a case accommodating therein said recording medium when closed. The ceiling side of the cover case is open when said base body and said cover are closed in such a fashion that an inner case can be taken into and out therefrom.

A circular dented support 7 is formed substantially at the center of the base body for holding the recording medium engagement member 21. A pair of arc-shaped slits 8, 8 is formed around the dented support 7, and stopper pieces 9, 9 overhanged the slit 8 to receive and hold the engagement member 21. A groove 3 is formed respectively on each of the left and right sidewalls 6, 6 of the cover 2 along the bottom corner for loosely fitting and moving the ceiling member 11 from a ceiling position near to a center of said cover or to a bottom surface the ceiling member 11. A taking in-and-out gate 3 a is formed on the left sidewall 6, in which the groove is not formed so that the ceiling member 11 can be taken into or out from the groove.

A plurality pairs of engaging projection 5 a and detent 5 b are formed on the left and right sidewalls 6, 6 of the cover 2 to engage with the ceiling member 11 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). An engaging notch 4 is formed on the left sidewall of the base body 1 to fit the ceiling member 11. The numeral 10 indicates a contact piece to receive accommodated circumference edge of a disk.

The base body 1 and the cover 2 may be connected in some cases by only one hinge without disposing the back surface member. Furthermore, an iron core may be fitted in some cases into the connection portion of the base body 1 and the cover 2.

The ceiling member 11 and the recording medium engagement member 21 can be detached from the cover 2 and the base body 1. FIG. 2 shows the state the ceiling member 11 and the recording medium engagement member 21 are detached therefrom.

Referring to FIG. 3, the ceiling member 11 is made of synthetic resin integrally in substantially rectangular and has projections 12 formed at the both sidewalls 14, 14 for sliding in the grooves 3. Engagement protuberance 13 is formed on both sides 14, 14 of the ceiling member 11 to fit in the engaging projection 5 a and detent 5 b of the cover 2. Distal ends of the sidewalls 14, 14 are connected each other with a connection member 17. The connection member 17 has two flexible supports 15, 15 extending obliquely downward. Also, the connection member 17 has an engagement hole 16 for holding therein the recording medium engagement member 21. The connection member 17 is resilient enough to deform into an arc shape by pressing inner side. An arc-shaped support surface 18 is formed at the center of the connection member 17.

Means for moving the fixing position of the ceiling member 11 presses a connection member 17 provided to the ceiling member 11 to let it deform into an arc shape. A flexible supports 15, 15 disposed on the ceiling member 11 deforms inward, too, so that the engagement protuberance 13 so formed as to continue the flexible support moves inward, too. Consequently, engagement between the cover 2 and the ceiling plate 11 is released.

When the ceiling member 11 loosely fitted into the grooves 3 of the cover 2 is put on the ceiling portion of the cover 2, the engagement protuberance 13 and the engagement projection 5 a and detent 5 b engage with each other to thereby fix the position of the ceiling member 11 to the cover 2. When the base body 1 and the cover 2 are closed from this state, the engagement protuberance 13 is received in the engaging notch 4 of the base body 1 for the ceiling member 11 not to fall into the case.

Referring to FIG. 4, the recording medium engagement member 21 is made of synthetic resin, and it has flexible arms 22, 22 separated each other by a slot 22 a formed therebetween in a shape of the letter “H”. Each arm 22 a has a semi-cylindrical post 24 on the distal end to engage with a center hole of a disk. A disk support surface 23, 23 are formed on the shoulders of the engagement member 21 for supporting a disk thereon. Also, a catch piece 25 extends from the both ends of the engagement member 21 respectively, which is caught with the stopper pieces 9 of the base body 1 by putting it on the dented support 7 and rotating. To engage the engagement member 21 to the base body 1, it is positioned at a position shown in FIG. 10 with respect to the base body 1 first. When the engagement member 21 is rotated clockwise, engagement is achieved into the state shown in FIG. 4.

The recording medium engagement member 21 has in some cases a structure in which it releasably engages with an outer shape of a rectangular recording medium such as a medium for game software and an IC chip. FIG. 14 shows an example, in which the numeral 61 indicates a rectangular recording medium, 62 indicates a recording medium engagement member, and 63 indicates an engagement hook.

Engagement of the recording medium engagement member 21 with the base body 1 is sometimes achieved by engaging an engagement hole 43 formed in the base body 1 with an engagement hook 42 formed on a recording medium engagement member 41 as shown in FIG. 12. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, engagement is achieved in other cases by bringing an engagement protuberance 52 disposed on a recording medium engagement member 51 into sliding engagement with an engagement projection 53 and a fixing pawl 54 formed on the base body 1.

The ceiling member 11 is loosely fitted into the groove 3 formed in the cover 2. FIG. 15 shows the positional relation between the groove 3 formed in the cover 2 and the protuberance 12 for the slide groove formed in the recording medium engagement member 21 at this time. To fit loosely the ceiling member 11 into the groove 3 formed in the cover 2, there is a method that applies pressure to the ceiling member 11, then bends it into an arc shape and fits it into the groove 3. Another method that partially cuts off the groove 3, fits the protuberance 12 for the slide groove of the ceiling member 11 of a portion 3 a devoid of the groove 3 and fits the ceiling member 11 into the groove 3 is also available.

When the ceiling member 11 loosely fitted into the groove 3 of the cover 2 is put on the ceiling portion of the cover 2, the engagement protuberance 13 formed on the ceiling member 11 and the engagement portion 5 formed in the cover 2 engage with each other to thereby fix the position of the ceiling member 11 to the cover 2. When the base body 1 and the cover 2 are closed from this state, the engagement portion 4 formed on the base body 1 operates in such a manner that the ceiling portion 11 does not fall into the case.

FIG. 5 shows a state where a disk 31 is fixed to the recording medium engagement member 21 in contrast with FIG. 1. Under this state, the case takes the form of a case of a recording medium for sale.

FIG. 6 shows a state where the recording medium engagement member 21 is removed from the base body 1 and is engaged with an engagement hole 16 of the ceiling member 11 in contrast with FIG. 1. To remove the recording medium engagement member 21 from the base body 1, the engagement member 21 is rotated half clockwise relative to the base body 1 and engagement is released. The recording medium engagement member 21 so separated is engaged by fitting its engagement portion 26 into an engagement hole 16 of the ceiling member 11. At this time, the engagement hole 16 can be said as being fixed to the engagement medium recording member 21 in the same way as the disk 31.

FIG. 7 shows a state where the ceiling member 11 engaged with the recording medium engagement member 21 is slid along the groove 3 formed in the cover 2 and is moved near to a bottom surface of the cover 2 in contrast with FIG. 6. Means for moving the fixing position of the ceiling member 11 presses a connection member 17 provided to the ceiling member 11 to let it deform into an arc shape. A flexible support disposed on the ceiling member 11 deforms inward, too, so that the engagement protuberance so formed as to continue the flexible support moves inward, too. Consequently, engagement between the cover 2 and the ceiling plate 11 is released.

The ceiling member 11 so released from the engagement with the cover 2 is slid along the groove 3 formed in the cover 2 in the direction of the bottom surface of the cover 2. After its movement near to the bottom surface, the ceiling member 11 is positioned by the engagement portion 5 of the cover 2. After its movement near to the bottom surface, the ceiling member 11 operates as a height creation member when the inner case is fitted into the case. FIG. 7 shows five fixing positions but the number of fixing positions is increased or decreased according to circumstances.

The fixing position of the ceiling member 11 is determined by the length of the inner case in the inserting direction and by setting of the protruding distance of the inner case from the case.

FIG. 8 shows a state where the inner case 32 accommodating therein the disk 31 is accommodated from the ceiling portion created by moving the ceiling member 11 while the base body 1 and the cover 2 are closed in contrast with FIG. 7. The case operates as the case of the recording medium for rental use under this state.

FIG. 9 shows a state where the ceiling member 1 having a role of the height creation member of the inner case 32 as the base body 1 and the cover 2 are opened and are moved near to the bottom surface, and a condition of the inner case.

As described above, the case of the recording medium for rental or sale use according to the present invention operates as the case of the recording medium for sales use under the state where the ceiling member is engaged with the cover at the ceiling portion and the recording medium engagement member is engaged with the base body. Further, the case comes to have a structure having a space capable of accommodating the inner case inside the case when the base body and the cover are closed under the state where the ceiling member is loosely fitted moved near to the bottom surface of the cover by means of the groove formed in the cover and the recording medium engagement member is released from the base body and is engaged with the ceiling member, and because the ceiling member is positioned to various kinds of positions, the case becomes the recording medium case for rental use that has the height creation positions corresponding to various kinds of inner cases. 

1. A case of a recording medium for rental and sale use, permitting a recording medium to be taken into and out therefrom when opened, operating as a case accommodating therein said recording medium when closed, and accommodating therein an inner case accommodating said recording medium from a ceiling side when closed in such a fashion that said inner case can be taken into and out therefrom, comprising: a base body; a cover connected to the base body through a connection portion; a ceiling member loosely fitted to said cover; a groove for loosely fitting and moving said ceiling member from a ceiling position near to a center of said cover or to a bottom surface; positioning means so arranged as to be capable of positioning said ceiling member to a ceiling position and to a position near to the center of said base body or to the bottom surface; a recording medium engagement member; and engagement means engaging said recording medium engagement member with said base body in such a manner as to be capable of separation and opening; wherein said recording medium accommodation means is so constituted as to fix and hold said recording medium to said recording medium engagement member, and said inner case accommodation means accommodating said recording medium is constituted in such a manner as to open and release said recording medium engagement member from said base body, to engage said recording medium engagement means with said ceiling member, to move said ceiling member loosely fitted to the ceiling side of said cover along said groove and to fit it loosely near to the bottom surface of said cover and to accommodate said inner case accommodating said recording medium from the ceiling portion so released into said case.
 2. A case of a recording medium for rental and sale use according to claim 1, wherein said ceiling member includes at least a pair of right and left engagement protuberances, a flexible support and a member for connecting said pair of right and left engagement protuberances, and when a pressure is applied to said member for connecting said pair of right and left engagement protuberances, said flexible support undergoes elastic deformation, thereby changing the positions of said engagement protuberances.
 3. A case of a recording medium for rental and sale use according to claim 1, wherein said ceiling member is moved along a groove formed in said cover and when it loosely fits near to the bottom surface of said cover, said ceiling member has two or more fixing positions near the bottom surface.
 4. A case of a recording medium for rental and sale use according to any of claim 1, wherein said ceiling member has at least one flexible pawl and said cover and said flexible pawl hold a sheet of paper between them.
 5. A case of a recording medium for rental and sale use according to any of claim 1, wherein said ceiling member has a receiving surface and when said base body and said cover are closed, said receiving surface suppresses variance of said recording medium.
 6. A case of a recording medium for rental and sale use according to any of claim 1, wherein said base body has a receiving surface, said cover has a pressing plate and said receiving surface and said pressing plate suppress deviation of said recording medium when said base body and said cover are closed. 